This invention relates to a method and apparatus for use in low-temperature storage More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus with components for facilitating thawing of frozen specimens and further relates to an associated method. This invention also relates to a method and apparatus for facilitating the preparation of specimens for cryogenic storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,336 to Hermann Knippscheer et al. describes and claims a cryogenic storage apparatus wherein specimens in vials are individually inserted into and retrieved from a low-temperature storage unit. Identifying information relating to each individual specimen is entered into a computer which tracks the locations of the specimens along a snaking conveyor path inside the storage unit. The computer is thereby enabled to withdraw selected specimens upon request.
It is known that different kinds of biological tissues require different freezing and thawing protocols, i.e., different rates of temperature change and different lengths of intervals over which freezing and thawing are to occur. Sometimes different kinds of specimens are to be retrieved from storage and made available for research or other uses at the same time. However, the existence of different optimal thawing protocols necessitates substantial coordinating efforts to ensure that all specimens attain an effectively thawed out state at approximately the same time.